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Hey friends! I’ve got another easy and inexpensive project for you…just in time for the fun season of family gatherings and gift giving arrives. Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook, so you don’t miss any blog posts!!

This post is all about how to make your own rustic, moss chalkboard! It’s an inexpensive and easy project that I know you’ll love making for your own home!

First, I’d like to point out where all this inspiration came from, which occurred when I was prepping for a live video tutorial on HomeTalk’s Facebook page. The focus was on how to make a “DIY, Pottery-Barn Inspired Moss Letter,” and you can learn how to make one yourself by clicking here.

Let’s begin!

Supplies

old or unwanted frame with glass insert

chalkboard paint

a couple of sponge brushes

drop cloth or some sort of protective layer for the frame and glass to rest on

chalk

hot glue gun and long glue sticks

“bushy” moss (see pic below)

plastic fork

Start with a few preparations: heat your hot-glue gun, clean the glass, and remove it from the frame. Follow the directions on your paint can, or do what I do….Before opening the paint, make sure the lid is on real tight, and give it a good shake to insure that the paint is mixed really well.

Next, using your sponge brush, spread a few, thin layers of the chalkboard paint onto the glass. This step will take a little patience. Trust me….I’ve had to learn the hard way. If you don’t let the paint dry in between each coat, it will pull up and off the glass at random spots, and it’s just a pain to have to keep fixing that problem. So, if you just give it a little patience, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache. 😉

(The above photo is how the paint looks after the first coat of chalkpaint.)

(The above photo is how it looks after a few layers.)

While the paint’s drying in between coats, work on your moss frame.

The directions are really easy, so pay attention or you’ll miss it! 😉 Tear apart your moss into little pieces, and then add strips of hot glue to your frame. Quickly add your moss, while the glue’s hot, and then press down the moss using your plastic fork. Easy peasy!

Now that your frame is covered in moss, you’re ready to add the glass insert into the frame!

All you have to do now is “season” the chalkboard. Take your chalk, rest it on its side, and slide it from side to side, completely covering the chalkboard.

Then, take a napkin or cloth and gently wipe all the chalk off, giving your chalkboard a “rustic” look.

Now that you’ve seasoned your chalkboard, it’s time to add the pretty details. 😉 Get creative on this one! You can add some fun garland, like the one I made below, and then use your leftover chalk to spell out a meaningful word, such as “family,” “gather,” “home,” or the current season! Or even try out some stickers! I placed some stickers onto the chalkboard as a tester (as seen in the pic below). Another fun idea is to use a stencil and some liquid chalk.

But I decided to go with the handwritten look. It’s now sitting as pretty decor in front of our fireplace. 😉 Oh, and I added a diy, faux birchwood banner as a little accessory to my chalkboard. Want to learn how to make this banner? Click here. 😉

And just as another pretty background, I had to display it in front of our shiplap. (Who else loves shiplap?!)

So, what do you think about this diy, moss-covered chalkboard? Do you have any other ideas as to how to use moss in your own home? I’d love to hear about it! Comment below, or stop by my social media and say hey! You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook!

Hey y’all! Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, HomeTalk and Facebook, so you don’t miss any blog posts! And if you’re wanting some inspiration for your Christmas decorating and projects, be sure to stop by the blog on Tuesday, December 6th! I’m joining a super-creative group of ladies for the Home Decorators Collection Holiday Home Tours, and you don’t want to miss all the wonderful inspiration! 😉

Today, we’re going to talk all about this fun, Fall banner that’s not only easy to make, but it’s also budget-friendly! It’s a win-win all around! 😉

Okay, let’s get started!

Supplies:

Wood banner (This particular one was from the dollar spot at Target, but you could find a similar, pre-cut and unfinished wood banner from any craft store.)

Wood leaves (These are also from the dollar spot at Target, but you could use a different style of pre-cut wood pieces from any craft store.)

First, while your hot-glue gun is heating up, go ahead and set aside 2 wood pieces from your banner package. (This step is optional.) 😉 Next, choose a word that means something special to you, such as family, Fall, faith, or gathering. If you have enough wood pieces left, try to practice on one of them with your paint pen. This will help you to get comfortable with how the pen slides on the wood.

Third, once you feel comfortable with your pen, carefully write each letter, and then add thicker strokes on the sides of each letter, just to add a little oomph. 😉 I really loved using this pen….It definitely lives up to its name! The gold sparkles on the wood, and is so shiny! (No, I was not paid to share my opinion. They did, however, give me this glorious pens at the Haven Conference this past August!) 😉

Fourth, weave your string through each hole, leaving about an inch of space between each wood piece.

Lastly, tie a loose loop for hanging on either end of your string.

That’s it! How easy was that?!

I love this banner, because it’s great for every season, not just the Fall….For example, you could add some colorful, fabric flowers for Spring on either end of the banner, or weave some nautical rope for Summer in place of the jute string. There are limitless possibilities! I hope this post sparks your own creativity in some way!

(Giveaway now closed as of 9/30/16. The winner has been notified. A huge thanks to ALL of you who entered!)

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Hey friends! Boy, do I have some exciting news for y’all! I have partnered with Country Living to give one lucky winner a set of 2 Early-Bird passes to the Country Living Fair for the ENTIRE weekend here in Atlanta, GA October 21-23, 2016! You don’t want to miss this super-fun event!

I’ve been the past 2 years with my sweet mama, and we’ve made so many great memories and found some ah-mazing treasures! Both years, we’ve bought the “early-bird” pass, and we’ve never even once been disappointed. This special pass is so great, because Country Living allows a handful of guests to arrive an hour and a half early on Friday and Saturday to shop at all the booths before the crowd arrives. And a lot of booths even give a discount to all the early-birders! It’s wonderful getting to shop before everyone else!

I’m telling you, it’s really a special weekend. I tried to come up with my favorite part about this particular event, and it was truly so hard to narrow my faves down to just one! Both years that I’ve been, we’ve made lots of great memories and enjoyed special family time. Because kids 16 and under are free, I always bring my kiddos on Saturday and Sunday, because they love it just as much as I do! It’s not just for ladies. Even the men in your life would enjoy looking at the cool antiques, or checking out the decked-out rv’s that are on site, or even sampling all the fresh-made snacks!

And the food…whew, it’s sooo good! You get to taste a variety of samples before buying. But don’t worry, there’s not a food booth at this event that you won’t like. There are booths filled with delicious handmade pies, fresh bread and homemade sweet tea. Yuuuuummmy!

And let’s not forget the shows! This year’s guests are the sister-duo, the Junk Gypsies, who will appear on Saturday. They’re going to launch their new book, Junk Gypsies: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder and Wander. Another special guest will be Nancy Fuller, TV personality and author of Farmhouse Rules! Other fun guests include Cari Cucksey (star of HGTV’s Cash and Cari), Denise Sabia (blogger, The Painted Home), Joanna Palmisano (award-winning interior designer and regular DIY Network contributor), and Melissa Caughey (Tilly’s Nest, HGTV.com and CountryLiving.com writer and contributor). In addition to all these goodies, there will be an opportunity to audition for Flea Market Flip!

The yummy food, the vintage finds, the inspiring shows…everything is so much fun! It’s a one-of-a-kind event! And I’d love to give YOU the opportunity to win 2 early-bird tickets to the Country Living Fair in Atlanta!

Entering this contest is so easy! Check out my Instagram page for all the details. This contest runs from September 27-30, 2016. Can’t wait to share with you all the winner this Saturday!

This year, I wanted to decorate for Fall completely differently. I was just ready for a change! Have you ever been there? I decided that I wanted my accessories neutral — a mix of whites, off-whites, ivory, and natural colors. But, I didn’t have ANY neutral pumpkins. They were all various shades of ORANGE. So, that meant one thing — I had to go shopping for some neutral pumpkins. But after scouring my favorite stores for Fall decor, I found that not only were most mini pumpkins $1-$3/each, most of them weren’t even a neutral color! I was NOT going to pay an arm and leg for Fall accessories! That meant I had to get creative. So, I chose to spray-paint all of my pumpkins…all of the ones I already had and then search all my local thrift stores for more!

Spray-painting is a great choice. It’s easy, and it dries within minutes! But I didn’t want mine to all look the same, so I chose a variety of spray paints to use. I already had most of the spray-paint cans, but I still had to have an off-white chalky spray paint. So, I used my half-off coupon at our local crafts’ store and bought it!

A spray-paint accessory that I absolutely LOVE is called the “Comfort Grip” by Rustoleum. (Thank you, Rustoleum, for my new fave tool!) Have you ever used one of these fine products?! They’re fabulous! First, you don’t end up getting any spray paint on your index finger (those of you who have ever spray-painted something know exactly what I’m talking about!), and your finger doesn’t end up hurting from pushing on the trigger for so long! So, if you don’t have life saver in your arsenal, be sure to grab one the next time you purchase your spray paint. 😉

Anyways, back to my pumpkins. Here’s how they looked before….The pink one was only 70 cents at a local thrift store! 😉

And here’s how they look now….I have some piled high in a fun, olive bucket at our front door…

And I have one on our coffee table…

And more of these little beauties are piled up in an apple crate. 😉

And here’s another little pumpkin…

I love their fresh look! They have new life, and I’ll plan to keep these for seasons to come!

So, the next time you see some orange pumpkins (or some ugly pumpkins for that matter!), look past their delapidated state and think about what they could become…a collection of gorgeous and fresh Fall decor!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you’ve been encouraged to transform some dull pumpkins of your own…or at least I hope to have stirred your own creativity!

Have any questions or comments? Comment below, or stop by and say hello on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I always LOVE to hear from my readers! Have a wonderful day!

Hey sweet friends! Recently, I shared our summer home tour on another friend’s blog…Shelstring…for her fabulous Summer Home Tour Series. Michelle is such a sweetheart, and she has a whole collection of various bloggers’ homes! You don’t want to miss this series! You can read all about our home here. 🙂 In our summer home tour, you’ll see all sorts of farmhouse decor…complete with white rockers, lots of flowers, and wonderful, vintage finds!

Here’s a sneak peek of our home…

So, I hope you’re wanting to hop on over to Shelstring now, if you haven’t already! Stop back by and say hey, and let me know what you thought about our summer home tour.

And when you’re finished checking out our home, please stop by and say “hey” on my Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest….Or comment below. I always love to hear from y’all! Have a wonderful day!

Hey y’all! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I’d like to share with you how I turned a brand new chicken feeder into a rustic, “aged” plate rack!

Have you ever searched for a plate rack with the perfect patina, only to discover that they’re so expensive?? Well, I have…and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy something that costs an arm and a leg when I could at least try to do it myself!

So, after much research on how to make a rustic display for my fun dishes, I embarked on this project with my fingers crossed! 😉

(Let me begin by saying that I’m by no means an expert on this topic, so if you think you might have a better way to do this project, go for it! When it comes to projects, I’m usually a wing-it-as-you-go type of girl, so these instructions are just for you to learn from me and take from this experience as you wish.)

Here’s what you’ll need:

A plastic bin or a narrow mopping bucket to hold the feeder while it rusts

A couple of large rubberbands

A few garbage bags

Distilled White Vinegar (Depending on how narrow your bucket is, you might need about 2-3 containers of vinegar. I used 2 containers.)

Clear Polyurethane Spray

Let’s get started!

First, take all your supplies outside or to a well-ventilated area, where you’ll leave your chicken feeder for a few weeks. (I left mine in the garage, in a tightly-sealed trash bag. If you do leave yours in your garage, make sure your bag is closed up well so that fumes don’t leak out.)

Next, place your chicken feeder into the trash bag and then into the bucket…as in the picture below.

Pour all the vinegar around the feeder, trying to splash the vinegar all over the feeder as you pour. Use a couple of rubberbands to seal the bag tightly.

Most of the how-tos on Pinterest for this project weren’t exactly accurate on the length of time it takes to age a chicken feeder — The process took a lot longer than just one week. Well, really, it just depends on how much “aging” you want to give your plate rack. I actually let mine sit in the vinegar for about 3 weeks, flipping it from top to bottom about once a week.

Once you’ve pulled your chicken-feeder-turned-plate-rack out of the trash bag, take it outside and wipe it down GENTLY real well. If you’re rough with wiping it down, you’ll remove some of the faux “aging” off the chicken feeder. Trust me….I had to learn the hard way. 😉 After removing all the loose remnants, give it a good all-over spray with your can of clear poly. This will seal up the rust and keep it from getting on your dishes. 😉

Let me clarify that this project is so, very easy….It just takes a little patience. You’ll be so happy with the results!

Here’s a comparison of the before and after. What do you think about this diy project?

Also, you might have seen the plate rack (styled below in our china hutch) in our kitchen remodel blog post. (If you’d like, you can click here for that post.) 😉

Thanks again for taking the time read all about my diy projects…mistakes and all! Lol. I hope you’ve gleaned something from this post. And I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or drop by and say hello on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!

Recently, I added some rustic accessories to the bathroom, and I wanted to share this new decor with you. 🙂

First, there’s the galvanized storage shelf. It didn’t come with hooks, so I bought two “S” hooks at Home Depot, and then my sweet hubby used a handy tool to squeeze one end of each hook to the rod so that it wouldn’t come off easily. 😉 I shopped our home for fun accessories for this rustic shelf and found a white ironstone pitcher, some grainsack napkins, white towels and a cute concrete pot with some greenery.

Also, this awesome vintage Sutliff can was a serious score from a recent estate sale. I absolutely love the details….It’s the perfect floral vase for our bathroom! And because the top has a wide opening, all I did was use a small mason jar filled with water and then slipped that jar right on into the Sutliff can. 😉

In addition to the Sutliff can, a grainsack napkin and an antler were the perfect accessories for some extra farmhouse touches.

What do you think of these new accessories? I love it that anyone can add a touch of farmhouse charm to their home…no matter what style of home they live in. Don’t you agree? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

I hope you enjoyed this quick update for our bathroom. If you’d like to see the remodel as a whole, click on this link here. Have a great day!

Update: I recently added a new sign above our galvanized shelf, and I thought y’all might like to see it. So here she is!

Hey friends! For the past couple of months now, I’ve been meaning to share with you here on the blog some super-exciting news….News so important that I have to have it documented!

On March 30th of this year, CountryLiving.Com published our bathroom remodel on their Decorating Ideas page! Yes, you heard that right — Country Living shared OUR home on their website! 😉 (Insert fireworks and happy dance emojis) If you’re interested, you can read all about that post here. I’m so honored that one of my favorite magazines would choose to share our bathroom makeover with the world! 😉

Below is how our bathroom looked before the reno began…

And here’s the after…

If you’d like to see the original post on how we spent only $6,000 on our farmhouse-styled master bathroom makeover, click here. And while we’re on the subject of bathroom makeovers, we also recently renovated our guest bathroom. To see before and after shots, click on this link.

Thanks again for taking the time to read all about our Country Living news! Y’all are always such an encouragement! If you’re on social media, stop by and say “hey” or comment below. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I love to hear from you!

Hey friends! I know this post is long overdue, but I wanted to share the before and after remodel pics of our kitchen and dining room area. Yes, it’s been a few years since the renovation, but I figured it’s better late than never, right?! Besides, since I’ve been on a “before/after remodel” kick as of late, I’m thinking I might as well show you other parts of our home that have never been revealed on the blog!

When we moved into this lovely home of ours almost 14 years ago, the kitchen was completely builder-grade quality…with your basic cabinets, white laminate countertops, and lots of walls surrounding the kitchen and eating areas. This small, cramped area was not suited to my cup of tea. 😉

(This next photo was taken just before the walls were knocked out. And yes, I chose this putrid yellow color that was actually called “Winnie the Pooh.” Don’t say it…I know…but back then, I thought it looked like sunshine. And who doesn’t like sunshine??) 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, I was very thankful for at least having a kitchen and dining room — really in truly! But I’m not a fan of tight spaces, and these rooms definitely fit the bill for being squishy…that is, before we tore down the walls!

And now, after the remodel, it’s become a spacious haven…a place where we all love to hang out!

Our kitchen now has beadboard cabinet door fronts, a built-in fridge that we bought off eBay (brand new for half the price), and a huge, open space. A little window seat has been added, as well as an easy diy chalkboard that was painted onto the wall.

This vintage shelf is a thrifty find that once was lifeless, but now after a fresh coat of white paint and some fun knobs, it’s a functional and pretty little storage spot in the kitchen! You can read all about that diy project here. 😉

Did you notice how the walls were removed (the ones in between the dining room and the kitchen?!) It’s amazing how much natural light that comes into this space! I just love it!

The striped drapes are actually a set of khaki panels that I bought at Ikea and then painted white stripes directly onto the fabric. Because the drapes weren’t as thick as I wanted them to be, I added white, twin-size sheets to the backs. And I absolutely love them!

That kitchen table set you see below is a thrifted set that we bought a couple of years ago and refinished. I really wanted some cane chairs and table that had an extension, and so one wonderful day, I finally found what I was looking for! You can read all about that diy project here. 😉

The accessories on the hutch are mostly vintage or antique items from thrift stores and yard sales. And the paper on the back of the hutch is some fun wrapping paper that I simply taped to the wall! If you know me at all, I have to have decor that’s as non-committal as possible, because I like to change it out so much! 😉

That plate rack in the pic above is a diy project that anyone can do! It was actually a brand new chicken feeder that I turned into an “aged” plate rack. Click here for the tutorial.

If you keep walking through the dining room, you’ll head straight to our back patio. It’s another favorite hangout spot of ours. That post will be for another day…but soon. 😉

Thanks so much again for stopping by! What are your thoughts on this kitchen/dining room remodel? And have you removed a wall to make a space in your home appear larger? Comment below, or find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Stop by and say hello….I’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to part 2 of our guest bathroom reno! (If you missed part 1, the tutorial on painting laminate flooring, you’ll definitely want to click on this link. It will show you what we did with our bathroom floors. 🙂 We took them from boring to kapow!)

Our guest bath has come a long way since my sweet hubby started painting our laminate floors. It’s amazing what a can of white paint can do to a space!! The transformation is light, bright and airy!

I kept the shelves, the diy shower curtain and a few of the accessories. Of the items that are new in this space, most of it is from shopping my house.

I really love this vintage orange marmalade jar next to our boxwood pot, but I felt it needed a little oomph, so I turned this vintage cheese box upside down to help corral the accessories together. 🙂

What do you think of this renovated space? What’s your favorite part? I’m in love with the white walls and white floors! I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can comment below, or stop by and say hello on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Sherwin Williams for the fantastic paint and paint supplies we used on our laminate floors and the walls. We chose a pure white color called Snowbound, and we used an awesome expandable roller pole called the Power Lock Extension Pole by Purdy. (It extends 4′ to 8′ and completely locks the roller into place!) We also used an awesome Nylox paint brush by Purdy to help with cutting in around the trim and baseboards. 😉 They were gracious enough to give me some wonderful paint supplies in exchange for my honest opinion. If I didn’t like something, I promise I’d tell you!